Salt-evaporator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1. T. CRANBY. SALT EVAPORATOR.

No. 525,757. Patented Sept. 11, 1894.

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T. ORANEY.

SALT EVAPORATOR.

Patented Sept. 11, 1894.

I i I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS ORANEY, OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

SALT-EVAPO RATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,757, datedSeptember 11, 1894.

Application d November 14,1893. Serial No, 490,895. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it kn own that I, THOMAS CRANEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Salt-Evaporators, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement andcombination of the heating chamber, the settling chamber, theevaporating chamber and the vacuum making apparatus connected with saidevaporating chamber; further in the settling leg applied to the settlingchamber and the conveyer connecting with the foot of the said leg, andfurther in the peculiar construction, combination and arrangement of thevarious parts, all as more fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical, central section throughmy improved grainer, partly in elevation. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionthereof through line a; 00, the discharge pipe from the condenser beingomitted. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the foot of thesettling leg, and the conveyer tube. Fig. 4 is a plan view partly insection showing the supporting frame and tension device for the upperend of the conveyor. Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the man-holecover. Fig. 6 is a vertical, central, longitudinal section therethrough;and Fig. 7 is a diagram elevation.

A is the cylindrical casing in the lower end of which are secured theheads B and O.

D is a large central tube or passage between the heads, and E is aseries of smaller tubes arranged around the central tube and extendingbetween the heads. Between these two heads is formed the heatingchamber. Steam being admitted thereto at any suitable point willentirely fill the space around the pipes, finding exit through the drainpipe F at the bottom thereof. Secured to the lower end of the casing Ais a tapering casing G forming below the heating chamber the settlingchamber H.

I is the evaporating chamber formed above the heating chamber, andhaving the conical cap or top J, which connects into the vapor pipe Kleading to any suitable condenser L.

The exit pipe F passes through the settling chamber H andto theoutsidethrough a pipe M in the side thereof, the two being connected bya bent flexible metallic connecting pipe which takes up any expansion orcontraction between the parts, and at all times maintains a tight jointwithout the necessity of packing, which would be required in an ordinaryslip joint.

The settling chamber H terminates in a settling leg 0, which at itslower end connects with the inclined conveyer tube P, preferablyrectangular in cross-section, having a suitable rail P for the upper runof the conveyer chain, not shown. This conveyer chain passes at itslower end over a sprocket wheel Q'and at its upper end over a sprocketwheel Q which is journaled in the sliding frame R, which is adjusted bymeans of the screw S, the frame B being supported on the stationaryframe S.

The lower end of the conveyer chute is provided with a semi-circular capor cover T, shown in Fig. 3. Half bearings a are formed in the lower endof the conveyer chute, and

corresponding half bearings b in the cap T for the shaft 0 of thesprocket wheel Q, so that by removing this cap or cover the sprocketwheel may be removed and any sediment in the lower end of the chutethoroughly cleaned out.

To further assist in cleaning the apparatus, I arrange the inlet nipplesT at opposite sides of the lower end of the elevator chute controlled byvalves T At suitable points in the casing, as shown by dotted lines, aremanholes U provided with suitable manhole covers U. These manhole coversare provided with central lugs 01 apertured to receive bolts 9 whichpass through the clamping lever f hinged to lugs g formed upon thecasing of the manhole frame. In this manner it will be seen that themanhole is pivoted to the clamping lever and may be opened by swingingthe lever on its pivot and at the same time perfectly adjust itself to aseat. The outer end of the lever is bifurcated to receive the swingingbolt it provided with a clamping nut t'. The parts being thusconstructed the apparatus is supplied through the supply pipe with asuitable amount of brine up to the level shown in the evaporatingchamber I, the height of the liquid being determined by the gage V.

Steam being admitted into the heating 5 chamber and the condenser beingset in operation, a vacuum is formed in the evaporating chamber, thebrine is boiled, the salt crystals beingformed and settling into thesettling chamber H, thence through the leg 0 to the foot thereof andcarried by the conveyor to the top where it is delivered into anysuitable receptacle. The arrangement of the small circulating tubes Eandthe large circulating tube D is such that'the brine will I 5circulate through these pipes, being heated as it passes upward, andwill pass downward through the tube D in the center, thus main-' taininga constant circulation and insuring the perfect heating of the brinewith rapid 2o evaporation of the water.

Another important feature of my invention is the condenser which is'soconstructed as to perform its work with a minimum of power.

7 The conical condensing chamber L is provided with a water dischargepipe m from the lower end thereof through which the water flows, thelower end of the pipe on being sealed in any suitable manner such as inthe tank n.

In the previous state of the art .sucha condenser has been used but inconnection with an elevated tank, such as shown in dotted lines at 0, inwhich case the cold water for the condenser was first pumped into theelevated tank, and from thence fed by gravity into the condenser, thework required of the pump being to elevate the water from the source,such as a suitable well to the water level of the tank. In place of thisarrangement I use the construction shown in Fig. 7 in which 19 is asuitable pump, for instance a centrifugal pump as shown in the drawings,located in a well below the condenser.

q is a discharge pipe from the pump lead- 5 ing directly into the upperend of the condensing chamber and subjected to the low pressure therein.Now after the vacuum is formed in the evaporating chamber, which may bedone by any suitable vacuum pump, feed water is supplied through thepipe q into the condenser. The vapor from the evaporating chamber willbe condensed by the inflowing water and flow with such water through thedischarge pipe m. As the up, perend of the discharge pipe q is subjectedto the low pressure in the vacuum chamber or condenser, the atmosphericpressure will tend to raisethe water in the pipe and thus the workrequired of the pump will be only suificient to elevate the water fromthis elevated level of the fluid inthepipeq to a point 7 where the sameenters the condensing chamber, thus reducing the work of the pump to aminimum.

The centrifugal pump Ihave shown is pro-v vided with a vertical shaft 7'at the top of which is a suitable pulley s through which the motion maybe communicatedto the pump through any suitable source of power.

What I claim as my invention is- The combination with the casing A, ofthe escape'pipe K leading from the top thereof,

the condenserL into the top of which the pipe enters, the verticaldischarge pipe m leading from the bottom of the condenser, 21 water sealat the lower end of the discharge pipe, an unbroken or continuous supplypipe q leading into the top of the condenser, its lower end extendingdown toa point near the base of the apparatus and located in a suitablewater supply, and a pump at or near the lower end of the supply pipe forforcing the water through the same, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS CRANEY.

Witnesses:

M. B. ODoeHER'rY, O. F. BARTHEL.

